Identification bands are used in many applications, including particularly in hospitals or the like for patients upon admission. In such instances, when a patient is admitted, information is taken from the patient with respect to his medical history, and, during the course of the patient's stay, it's not unlikely that various kinds of medications and treatments are given to the patient. For these reasons, and others, it is important to keep track of the patients in a reliable manner with an identification bracelet which will withstand the vagaries of a hospital environment.
As the admission and processing of patients in hospitals becomes more automated with computers, there has developed a need in the art for an identification band which may be secured about a patient's wrist or ankle, for example, and which is readily generated through the same computer system as is used to in-process the patient himself. Commonly, and at the present time, these computer systems routinely print admission forms on laser printers.
In the prior art, identification bands have tended to be ruggedized and moisture proofed in order to insure that they are not easily removed by either the staff or the patient, inadvertently or on purpose. Additionally, various arrangements have been provided in the prior art for moisture proofing these identification bands by overlying the band with a plastic film or surrounding it in a plastic sleeve or the like. Of course, this complex structure and arrangement requires time for a medical professional not only to assemble the patient identification band but also to apply it to the patient in a secure manner. As hospitals process patients in significant numbers, the time required to prepare and apply patient identification bands can be significant and requires more than a minor intrusion into a medical professional's daily task.
Still another problem with prior art identification bands is their relatively narrow width. This narrow width limits the font size of printing and thereby renders the band difficult to read. In many instances, the bands were hand lettered or manually typed which created additional problems relating to the physical handling of the bands and the resulting "readability" problems caused by illegible or mis-aligned printing or typing.
With the advent of computer systems, including laser printers, there have been attempts in the prior art to solve these needs, with varying degrees of success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,431 discloses a continuous form admission record with an adhesive backed patient identification band which may be removed from the continuous form after the patient's name and any identifying data is printed thereon, the band folded over on itself for adhering adhesive backed portions of the band together, and then securing the band to a patient's wrist by folding it into a loop and joining its ends by use of an adhesive tab. However, the construction of the '431 patented band has several drawbacks. One such drawback is that the data printed on the identification band remains exposed after the band is applied to a patient's wrist. While special, more expensive, types of paper or plastic stock may be used, which will help to minimize any obliteration or alteration of the data, this increases the cost of the band and does not provide a full solution. Furthermore, as the disclosure is best understood, the adhesive tab which secures the opposite end of the band to hold it in a loop appears to be nonoverlapping such that its integrity may be readily breached.
The inventor herein is also aware of prior art identification badges or cards formed in a multi-part form wherein a paper layer provides a surface for the printing of identification information including a person's name, and a second layer of adhesive backed film is oversized so that upon separation of the badge from a carrier, the transparent film may be folded over to overlie the card. As best known to the inventor, these name badges have been used and recommended in the prior art for convention name tags, membership cards and the like which may be directly pinned onto a wearer's clothing, slipped into a plastic carrier for pinning onto a wearer's person, or carried in a wallet, or otherwise affixed with separate supporting structure. This product is available commercially under the trademark DURACARD from Avery Dennison and is apparently disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,976.
In order to solve these and other problems in the prior art, the inventor has succeeded in designing and developing an identification band blank formed as part of a multi-part, standard page-sized, form which is readily adaptable for use in recording a patient's admission to a hospital or other health care facility, for example. An upper portion of the page-sized form may be comprised simply of a matrix of adhesive backed identification labels which may be removed conveniently to adhere to the patient's utensils, hospital chart, room sign, etc. At the same time, another portion of this page-sized form includes multi-layered identification band blanks of the present invention.
In a preferred embodiment, the page-sized form is comprised of two layers, a paper stock layer and an adhesive backed transparent film layer. The paper stock is suitable for accepting an image printed thereon by a laser printer or the like and can be relatively inexpensive paper stock as will be seen momentarily. With this construction, the band blank can be thought of as an "open system" form. By that is meant the band blank can be any standard, or special, paper or paper size for printing in any printer with any suitable ink.
In another preferred embodiment, the page-sized form is comprised from two webs, with a first web forming the upper portion and a second web forming the lower portion, the lower portion containing the multi-layered identification band blanks. These two webs may themselves be formed from different materials, as desired, to accommodate different printers, applications for users, ink requirements, strength or flexibility needs, or any other processing or use environment or need. For example, the upper portion or first web may be formed with a top layer of adhesive backed paper stock with a bottom layer of a coated liner. The lower portion or second web may be formed with a top layer of paper and a bottom layer of an adhesive backed transparent film. After the two webs are individually formed, the webs are joined such as by being overlapped and glued together along their length, and then cut to form the desired page-sized form. In either embodiment a line of perforation may be added to separate the two portions from each other so that a user may conveniently separate the portions to separate the bracelet from the labels.
In either embodiment, the outline of the paper may be kiss-cut into the paper stock such that only the paper stock portion of the multi-layer form is cut for separation from its surrounding paper layer. The transparent adhesive backed film which comprises the other half of the identification band blank is also kiss-cut but has a size more than twice the width of the paper label portion so that upon separation from the carrier, the transparent film may be folded along a fold line to completely overlay, surround, and encapsulate the paper label portion. An edge of adhesive backed film surrounds the entire circumference of the paper label so that a completely moistureproof seal is formed. Also, each "half" of the transparent film includes an adhesive backed tab extending from its edge so that as the transparent film is folded over, the identification band blank has an adhesive backed tab at either end and aligned for securing the band blank about a patient's wrist or ankle. As each of the tabs are adhesive backed, and they are arranged to join with each other on their adhesive surfaces, a rather secure attachment is provided when the patient's wrist is appropriately sized. However, in most instances this is not the case. As each tab has its own adhesive layer, the tabs need not overlie one another and instead will attach to other parts of the band blank such that the identification band blank may also be attached conveniently to a typically sized wrist.
In an alternative construction, a second set of kiss-cuts, of greater strength such that they are not as readily separated, may be formed in the identification band blank and used to provide a reduced length identification band blank for children or infants, as required. With this alternative construction, reduced inventory of the page-sized forms is permitted as the form may be used for virtually any patient being admitted to the hospital or other institution.
While many of the principal advantages and features have been briefly explained, a more thorough understanding of the invention may be obtained by referring to the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment which follows.